Full name: __________________________ Class: __________ Date: ______________

TERM PAPER - Sem. I - Grade 12 B

1. Choose the best answer a, b, c or d for each of the sentences.

(5p. / 1p. each)

1. Which books ................... to school yesterday?
a. took you b. take you c. do you take d. did you take
2. It just isn't fair: while I ……….. as a waiter last month, my friends ……….. on the beach.
a. was working/ lied b. have been working/lied c. worked/were lying
d. was working/were lying
3. She caught them while they ………….
a. were talking  b. was talked  c. talked  d. is talking 
4. When the doorbell ……….. I was having a bath.
a. rang b. rings c. rung d. ringed
5. He ………….. in love with her over a year ago.
a. fell b. has fallen c. falls d. felled

2. Irregular past tenses

Here are 20 verbs. 10 are regular and 10 are irregular. Write in the Past Simple and Past Participle for
the irregular verbs only.
(10p. / 1p. each)

Base Past Past

form simple Participle

appear
bring
climb
fall
feel
forget
improve
invent
know
let
lose
manage
pass
pick
speak
start
tell
understand
use
want

3. Read the following text and answer the questions:

(42p. / 6p. each)
 Where are the most biologically diverse places on the planet? If I asked you this question, you
might guess the Amazon rainforest in Brazil or the jungles of India. But, in fact, one of the richest
sources of biodiversity is actually underwater. Off the northeastern coast of Australia live thousands of
species of fish, birds and reptiles. Their home is the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef.
Stretching over 1,600 miles, the Great Barrier Reef is as long as the distance from Boston to Miami in
the United States. The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish. But it’s not just fish
that live in the reef. The reef also provides food and shelter to sponges, whales, dolphins, marine turtles
and mollusks. The reef may look like a rock but it’s actually alive. Coral reefs are underwater
structures that are made by corals—tiny animals that are related to jellyfish. The coral have tender
bodies that are vulnerable to attack, so they secrete a hard substance called calcium carbonate to
protect their exteriors. The calcium carbonate builds up until it makes formations that look like rocks to
the human eye. Coral reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear water that receives a lot of sunshine.
Around a quarter of all marine species live in coral reefs, and they play an important role in supporting
diversity in the ocean. Charles Darwin, the famous biologist who first proposed the scientific theory of
evolution, described the coral reef as an oasis in the desert of the ocean. Though tropical waters
typically provide very little nutrients, the coral reefs that exist in tropical waters are among the richest
and most diverse ecosystems on earth. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef on the planet.
Covering more than 133,000 square miles, it is even visible from outer space. Scientists believe that
the Reef is around 500,000 years old, but has shifted forms several times during its existence. The Reef
has most likely had its present topology for 6,000 ‐8,000 years. Hundreds of different species of coral
make up the various structures composing the Great Barrier Reef. Within these structures, several
ecosystems flourish. Ecosystems are complex systems that contain several species that interact with
one another.
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a number of species that have special, interdependent
relationships. One such example is the unique, mutually beneficial partnership that exists between the
clownfish and the sea anemone. Clownfish are small fish, typically about three to seven inches long.
The name comes from their bright coloring, which can be orange, red or yellow, interspersed with
stripes of black and white. The sea anemone is a polyp, a cousin to the jellyfish. The clownfish and sea
anemone each benefit the other. In science, this type of relationship is called symbiotic and mutualistic.
Sea anemone have long tentacles and look like exotic underwater flowers. But the sea anemone has a
hidden power—its tentacles have venom that paralyzes fish and crabs. Once the fish are paralyzed, the
sea anemone eats them. How does the clownfish survive living inside such a dangerous home? The
body of the clownfish is covered in a particular type of mucus. This mucus protects the clownfish from
the anemone, making it immune to the poison. Because clownfish live inside anemone, the poison
tentacles protect them from other predators. The clownfish is also able to eat some of the food the
anemone can’t digest. The sea anemone benefits from having clownfish live inside it, as well. The
clownfish plays a crucial role defending the sea anemone from fish and parasites that might otherwise
harm it.
While the Great Barrier Reef is the permanent home for many animals and plants, other
species only visit the area seasonally. The humpback whale comes to the Great Barrier Reef every
winter to breed and give birth to its young. Though humpback whales look similar to fish and share
many characteristics, they are, in fact, mammals. Instead of scales they are covered in skin. The
markings on a humpback whale’s skin are unique to each whale, similar to how every human being has
a fingerprint unlike any other. Humpback whales are one of the largest animals on the Great Barrier
Reef, about as long as a medium school bus. On average, the humpback whale comes to the ocean’s
surface to breathe every seven to 15 minutes, but they can remain underwater for as long as 45
minutes. Humpback whales are famous for their singing. Male humpback whales vocalize, making
noises that last up to 20 minutes and sound eerily similar to songs. Even though humpbacks are
enormous, they only eat the tiniest of fish. Favorite foods of the humpback whale include plankton,
shrimp‐like creatures called krill, and other small fish such as herring and mackerel. Humpback whales
don’t have sharp teeth like sharks. Instead, their mouths are filled with large plates of baleen. Baleen is
made out of keratin, the same material that our fingernails are made from, and enables the whales to
strain the small fish from the seawater. To feed, the humpback whale will gulp a mouthful of plankton
or krill and then let the water flood out. Humpback whales use a hunting strategy called bubblenet
feeding. A group of whales work together to capture large schools of herring, krill or other small fish.
One whale will blow a wall of bubbles around the herring school, while other whales will make noises.
These stimuli confuse the fish so that the rest of the whales can herd them together and upwards. Then
the whales can easily lunge up with their mouths open, and consume large quantities of the fish. The
average humpback whale eats 4,500 to 5,500 pounds of plankton, krill and fish each day during their
feeding season. The Great Barrier Reef is crucial for the humpback whales’ survival. Humpback
whales come from Antarctic waters to the Great
Barrier Reef from May to September to calve and to build up strength over the winter before
they return to the Antarctic in the summer, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
The Great Barrier Reef, home to so many diverse species, is now in danger due to several
threats. These threats include pollution, human interference and changing ocean temperatures.
Pollution and declining water quality endanger both the coral reef and the species that live within it.
Rivers coming from northern Australia can bring pollution from farm run ‐off when there are floods.
Farm runoff pollution includes animal waste, fertilizer and pesticides. In recent years, pollution from
these rivers has become worse because there are fewer coastal wetlands. In the past, coastal wetlands
between the rivers and the Great Barrier Reef would serve as a filter, keeping the worst of the pollution
from reaching the ocean.
Human interference that harms the Great Barrier Reef includes shipping accidents and
overfishing. Many ships pass through the Great Barrier Reef when they are bringing cargo to and from
Australia. It can be tricky for captains to navigate through these waters, and, as of 2013, there were
over 1,600 known shipwrecks in the Great Barrier Reef. Shipwrecks not only damage the physical
structure of the reef; they can also spill oil into the water, killing local species. Though pollution and
human interference are both problems, many scientists consider climate change the greatest threat to
the Great Barrier Reef. Ocean temperatures are rising, making coral reefs weaker and more susceptible
to disease. Rising ocean temperatures also affect the ecosystems in the coral reef, throwing off the
delicate balance that allows so many species to coexist. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the planet’s
treasure troves of biodiversity—but it may disappear within our lifetimes.

1. What is the Great Barrier Reef?

A a mammal that comes to the ocean’s surface to breathe every seven to 15 minutes
B something that is made out of the same material as human fingernails and
enables whales to strain small fish from seawater
C the world’s largest coral reef, located off the northeastern coast of Australia
D a large part of the Amazon rainforest located in the country of Brazil

2. The danger that the Great Barrier Reef now faces is an effect. What is one cause of
the danger it faces?
A the humpback whale
B a symbiotic relationship
C pollution
D clownfish

3. Many animals live in and around the Great Barrier Reef. What evidence from the passage supports
this statement?
A “Rivers coming from northern Australia can bring pollution from farm run-off when there are floods.
Farm run-off pollution includes animal waste, fertilizer and pesticides. In recent years, pollution from
these rivers has become worse because there are fewer coastal wetlands.”
B “The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish. But it’s not just fish that live in the
reef. The reef also provides food and shelter to sponges, whales, dolphins, marine turtles and
mollusks.”
C “Many ships pass through the Great Barrier Reef when they are bringing cargo to and from
Australia. It can be tricky for captains to navigate through these waters, and, as of 2013, there were
over 1,600 known shipwrecks in the Great Barrier Reef.”
D “Where are the most biologically diverse places on the planet? If I asked you this question, you
might guess the Amazon rainforest in Brazil or the jungles of India.”

4. Based on information in the passage, what is a symbiotic relationship?

A a biologically diverse place, such as a jungle in India
B an underwater structure that secretes a hard substance called calcium carbonate
C an animal that visits an area seasonally to breed and give birth
 D a relationship between two animals in which each animal helps the other

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A sea anemones and clownfish
B humpback whales and their young
C the Great Barrier Reef
D rising ocean temperatures

6. Read the following sentence: “Around a quarter of all marine species live in coral reefs, and they
play an important role in supporting diversity in the ocean.” What does the word diversity mean?
A many different kinds of things
B a serious threat to ocean life
C a hard outer layer than protects coral
D something that can be seen from outer space

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest
coral reef on Earth; ______, it may disappear within your lifetime.
A consequently
B before
C as an illustration
D however

4. You have just booked a holiday abroad. Write a letter to invite your best friend to come along
with you on the trip that will take place next summer. Give details about the places you want to
visit and specific ppans you might have. Your composition should have 150-200 words and should
contain at least one IF Clause.
(30p.)

**Grading starts from 13p.